"And behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias: who appeared in glory and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:30-31). The setting was the mount of transfiguration, where three of the disciples witnessed the Divinity of the Lord Jesus literally burst through His humanity. His face shined as the sun as He spoke to Moses and Elijah. These two men had been dead for many years, but here they are speaking with the Lord Jesus. And what were they talking about? They "spake of His decease which He should accomplish."
Wait a minute! Since when can death be spoken of as an accomplishment? We look on death as the enemy, the final defeat, the end. But an accomplishment? But when the Lord Jesus died, it was an accomplishment! What is meant by that?
The word accomplishment means "To fulfill, to complete, to carry out to the full, to perfect". This is what the Lord meant when He said "It is finished". By His death on calvary's tree, He finished, He accomplished everything that He set out to do. He said in John 17:4, right before His death, "I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." And what was that work the Father gave Him to do? "This is the will of Him that sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39)
I hear preachers presenting the death of Christ, not as an accomplishment, but as an attempt. "God loves you, Christ died for you, paid for your sins, and wants to save you, but He can't unless you do something to make it apply to you. God has done all He can, now it is up to you". That is the message preached from most pulpits. But the Bible NEVER speaks of the death of Christ in those terms. The Bible declares His death to be a successful accomplishment. If Christ paid for your sins, they are paid! Christ died for the elect, His sheep, the church, and everybody He died for must be saved. The Bible knows nothing of an atonement that does not atone. Christ did not pay for the sins of those who are in hell, or those who die in unbelief. His death was an accomplishment. A success!
Somebody may ask, "Why make an issue of this? Does it even matter in what terms we speak of the death of Christ?" It most certainly does, and here is why....
Because this glorifies Christ as a successful Savior. We are never to associate anything He did with failure. We know all that He died for must be saved because of WHO died! "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect. It is God that justifieth. Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died" (Romans 8: 33-34). Because of the success of His death, none for whom He died can be condemned!
To preach anything but the accomplishments of His death is to take away the scriptural grounds of assurance, because it denies that the knowledge that Christ died for me (or did or does anything else for me ), is a sufficient grounds for me to believe I'm saved. If universal redemption is true (the teaching that says Christ died for all, but actually guaranteed the salvation of none), then my salvation does not depend on what Christ does for me, but on what I do for myself.
A knowledge of the accomplishments of His death is the only scriptural motive for obedience. I obey God, not to be saved, but because my Redeemer accomplished salvation for me! What a liberating thought!
Finally, the accomplishments of His death is the actual content of the Gospel! To tell all men that Christ died for them is not preaching the gospel. That is the assurance of only the believer! The Gospel is that Christ accomplished salvation for everybody He died for, and if you come to Him for salvation, He won't cast you out! (John 6:37)
Thank God, I don't have to worry about coming up short on judgment day! He accomplished my salvation! "Wherefore, by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" Hebrews 10:14.